Stage II: Get More Power!

Power is relative. Putting 200 hp in a 1000-pound truck is more than enough to scare the pants off of someone, even though it is just 200hp. Driving our 2.4L, four-cylinder Project Element around town left much to be desired in the feel-of-the-pants rush that is the norm in the custom truck world. Wanting more power from the claimed 160hp engine, we contacted Injen Technology, in Pomona, California, for its complete power package designed especially for the Element. Using Injen's new RD series cold-air intake and the SES exhaust, we eliminated the restrictive stock parts and added dyno-proven aftermarket parts that not only work and look better but give the little Element some much needed sound. Another perk: The Injen intake and exhaust is legal in all 50 states. Easy install is putting it lightly; the exhaust is held on by four hangers and two spring bolts directly behind the catalytic converter. The intake did require removing the front fascia, but the all-plastic piece was only held on by eight small screws and little plastic trim clips. Wanting to give you the best story we could, we contacted Brother's Performance in Corona, California, for use of their dyno facility. In less than two hours, we installed the intake and exhaust with enough time to make three separate dyno runs. Check out the results and give Injen a call for more Element power.

On The DynoWe used the Dynojet 248C dyno at Brother's Performance in Corona, California, for our horsepower figures. We made a total of six runs: two stock, two with just the intake, and two with the intake and exhaust. Check out the numbers and give Injen a call to get more power out of your Element.

On The DynoWe used the Dynojet 248C dyno at Brother's Performance in Corona, California, for our horsepower figures. We made a total of six runs: two stock, two with just the intake, and two with the intake and exhaust. Check out the numbers and give Injen a call to get more power out of your Element. Stock numbers revealed we were sporting 126.4 hp max with 128.9 lb-ft of torque. With the Injen intake, we upped the output to 127.2 hp and 138.2 lb-ft: a full 10 lb-ft improvement! Intake and exhaust, the dyno showed a max of 130.0 hp and 140.3 lb-ft of torque. The figures were on a completely reset ECU without any training time, so we're certain, given some miles, the numbers will increase even more. The total torque increase was almost 12 lb-ft.